In an interview on Stan Sport FC, Ange Postecoglou has opened up about why he quit as Socceroos coach four years ago.
Under Postecoglou’s leadership, the Socceroos beat South Korea 2-1 in front of 76,385 fans at Sydney’s Stadium Australia in the Asian Cup final in 2015.
But Postecoglou said he was left feeling “flat” when Australia’s Asian Cup triumph failed to leave the lasting impact on the sport that he thought it would.
“The reason I was obsessed with winning the Asian Cup was because I thought that could be a watershed moment for Australian football because I think winning is everything,” Postecoglou told the media outlet, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
“[But] I misread what happened, what the impact it would possibly have.
“…I felt we’d just gone back into that cycle again of not understanding what it takes to become a really strong footballing nation.”
Postecoglou is now the coach at Celtic FC and has already won his first trophy in Scotland after eight months.
Despite this, the now-Celtic FC coach said he was still optimistic about the future of football in Australia, and hoped the new generation of coaches coming through would shape the game positively.
“Australian football’s so close to my heart… I just want it to succeed so much,” Postecoglou said.
“There are some bright young coaches out there, some bright young people out there, we need to start tapping into them, and hopefully they’ve got the energy to make us the football nation I believe we can be.”
Musicians, business leaders and entrepreneurs are uniting to push for a new range of venues to help Sydney get its musical mojo back, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Executive Director of Business Sydney, Paul Nicolaou, is one of the business leaders taking part in the campaign and has called for Pyrmont to be turned into Sydney’s version of London’s West End or Broadway in New York.
“Global cities need a vibrant live performance precinct where locals and tourists can enjoy a night out and Sydney sadly lacks this,” Mr Nicolaou told The Daily Telegraph.
Mr Nicolaou said the western harbour strip between Haymarket and Pyrmont is the perfect spot for this live entertainment precinct, as it is “ideally located, well serviced by transport options and bookended by the Capitol and Lyric theatres.”
Wine bars, jazz bars and supper clubs could also be attracted to the area through planning incentives, Mr Nicolaou said.
NSW Planning Minister, Anthony Roberts, agreed that Pyrmont has “significant potential” and hoped the government’s new Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy would create 23,000 new jobs.
The Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy sets out a 20-year vision for an innovative, cultural, and creative around-the-clock destination.
The Greek Professional Sports Committee has ruled that alleged fraudster, Bill Papas, does own Greek football team Xanthi FC, despite earlier telling an Australian court the opposite.
In a statement, the committee said “there was no illegal transfer of the shares” and “the data so far do not show the illegal origin of the money, which was allocated for the increase of the share capital of PAE Xanthi.”
Bill Papas was spotted at a Xanthi FC game last year.
“With the decisive contribution of the vice president of (Xanthi FC) and its legal representative, Fanis Ouzounidis, the truth shone before and any attempt to hurt our team fell into the void again,” the statement reads.
“We continue with even greater strength and faith the effort for the fulfilment of our goals and for the return of (Xanthi FC) to the position it deserves.”
According to The Australian, Mr Papas was dragged before the committee late last year to explain statements he’d made to the Australian Federal Court attesting that he’d sold his shares in Mazcon, the company which owned Xanthi FC.
Bill Papas.
Mr Papas later told Greek media he “did not deny the authenticity of this document” but claimed “that a statement made in the context of a civil case in an ongoing foreign court does not mean that it is true.”
Westpac and two other lenders, Société Générale and Sumitomo, filed Federal Court civil action against Mr Papas last year, alleging he and his company Forum Finance orchestrated a $500 million fraud against the banks.
Mr Papas’ court case is expected to be brought to trial at the start of June.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias met with US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt on Monday, with the top US diplomat reiterating Washington’s position that Greek sovereignty over the islands is unquestionable.
The meeting focused on Greece-US strategic cooperation, the latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean in the light of recent provocative statements by Turkish officials, and developments in Eastern Europe.
“We reaffirmed our commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” US Ambassador Pyatt said on Twitter after the meeting.
Grateful to update w/ @NikosDendias and underscore our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. As we discussed our shared goals for regional stability, I affirmed what Washington has made clear: the sovereignty of Greece over its islands is not in question. pic.twitter.com/xrAtc59Q4y
“As we discussed our common goals for regional stability, I reaffirmed what Washington has made clear: Greece’s sovereignty over its islands is unquestionable.”
On Friday, Washington made a clear and a direct rejection of claims made by Turkey’s Foreign Minister that sovereignty of islands in the east Aegean was conditional on Greece not militarising them under the Lausanne (1923) and Paris (1947) Treaties.
“The sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected and protected. The sovereignty of Greece over these islands is not in question,” a US State Department spokesman said in a statement.
Greece has always dismissed these claims, responding that as long as there is a Turkish military threat to these islands they will not be demilitarised.
Greece’s Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that one ethnic Greeks was fatally shot and two others were seriously injured during an incident in eastern Ukraine.
In a statement, the Ministry said three Ukrainian soldiers were “responsible” for the deaths and injuries to the three Greeks in the village of Granitna near the front-line of the conflict with pro-Russian separatist forces.
The Ministry said the incident took place after an argument over an “insignificant matter,” but no more details were immediately available.
In response, Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, has sought to speak with his Ukrainian counterpart about the incident and stress that the Greek community in Ukraine should be protected.
A few thousand Greek citizens live in the former Soviet republic.
Leave ‘immediately’:
Earlier, Greece had issued an advisory urging its nationals to avoid travelling to Ukraine and calling on any Greeks there to leave “immediately” in the face of fears that Russia, which has massed forces near Ukraine’s borders, could soon invade.
.@GreeceMFA strongly discourages all travel in any part of Ukraine’s territory and, at the same time, advises Greek citizens currently in Ukraine to leave the country immediately.
“Greek citizens who have not already left are also advised to immediately report their contact details to the Greek Embassy in Kiev,” the Ministry said.
The Ministry also pointed out that the staff of the Kiev Embassy have been reduced to those that are necessary. At the same time, the staff of the Consulate General of Mariupol will be strengthened.
Moscow has denied any invasion plans and has accused the West of hysteria, but made clear that it sees Ukraine’s quest for closer ties with the West, notably over NATO, as a threat and has demanded a series of security concessions.
Thousands of people streamed through the gates of the National Museum of Australia (NMA) in Canberra on Saturday to attend the first-ever ‘Greek cultural festival: The Agora.’
Attendees had huge smiles on their faces as they relaxed to the sounds of Iho Nyx band from Sydney and Canberra’s Kefi Band, while enjoying traditional Greek food prepared by a number of local Greek associations.
The food ranged from the Greek Orthodox Community and Church of Canberra’s famous souvlakia, to the Samian Association of Canberra’s spanakopites and tiropites, loukoumades from MrPuff’s, halloumi spring rolls and halloumi chips from Halloumi-Me and other various Greek sweets from BroadBean Catering.
Photos supplied.Greek Orthodox Community and Church of Canberra’s famous souvlakia. Mother and son team Samuel and Eleni Gianakis.
Throughout the day, people were also encouraged to visit stalls by local artists and importers who were selling hand-made clothing and jewellery, as well as perfume and beauty products, textiles and homewares. There was even face painting available for the youngsters.
Some of the stall holders included: Replica’s R Us, Jewels of the Aegean, Greek fashion designer Angie Xylas, Sweet Ama’lia, Saint Amari, Demi Mintzas, Mimi Mati, Vasiiliko, Evoke Events, and the Hellenic Museum of Melbourne, among many others.
Photos supplied.
Whilst these stalls were being enjoyed, other attendees were also treated to performances from the Canberra Hellenic Dancers, the Orana Steiner School and a children’s theatre from the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW.
Some people were even lucky enough to visit the NMA’s current Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes exhibition, which explores competition through sport, politics, drama, music and warfare, with the help of more than 170 objects from the British Museum.
Canberra Hellenic Dancers.
One attendee, Chrisoula Karatzas, told The Greek Herald the event was spectacular and really showcased Greek culture through the dancers, children’s theatre and Greek music.
“Canberra brought on some spectacular weather! There was a great turn out as well from people from all different places, not just Canberrans and not just Greeks either,” Chrisoula said.
Another attendee, Irene Tzavaras, agreed and said “it was fantastic to see people from all cultures enjoying the festivities at the Museum.”
“The museum put on a great event, it was really fun and engaging for all ages. I had as much fun as my kids did!” Irene concluded.
Sydney-based artist, Andrew Lambrou, has recently released Electrify – his entry for the ‘Eurovision – Australia Decides’ competition.
Written by Lambrou, as well as Joseph, Nick and Timm de la Hoyde, the song features English and Spanish lyrics.
Lambrou says he chose to make Electrify a bilingual entry because he loves “singing in different languages.”
“You hear so many songs nowadays that just blow up and go completely global with Spanish lyrics and Spanish influence, and I was really influenced by that too. So I felt that it was perfect to put it in the song,” Lambrou said in an interview with Aussie Vision.
On the writing process, Lambrou added it was “like a dream” working with the de la Hoyde brothers because it gave him a chance to produce something that was “very him.”
Andrew Lambrou.
“I wanted to put together something that was within that “Euro-world,” but mixed with “Andrew-world,” you know. [My] Greek Cypriot heritage and listening to music from Europe is something [that’s] been a real part of my whole life. It’s in my blood…” the singer said.
Lambrou will join the line up of 11 acts for the final of ‘Eurovision – Australia Decides’ on February 26 on the Gold Coast.
Sydneysider Dimitrios Papadatos has joined legends of Australian golf, Peter Thomson and Kel Nagle, as a two-time winner of the Vic Open,PGA Australia reports.
The 30-year-old produced a perfect six-under during Sunday’s round of 66 to finish one shot clear of playing partner, Ben Campbell.
“I wasn’t sure if I still had it in me,” Papadatos said of his win.
“It goes to show I didn’t fluke it the first time. I’m just so happy to be getting my game and playing well again.”
Dimitrios Papadatos.
Papadatos went up against a number of strong contenders this year, with Melbourne local, John Lyras, also giving him a run for his money over the weekend.
This is Papadatos’ fifth professional win and means he also has a spot in the field at St Andrews for the 150th Open this year.
While it may appear to be a regular café on the outside, when people step into Café 959 in the Sydney suburb of Kogarah, they step into a piece of history from newly-wed couple Chris and Marissa Andrew.
Both being children at the time, Chris and Marissa met in 2009 on their local school bus, the 959. As time went on, their relationship grew stronger and they began dating at the end of 2014.
“We came up with a lot of different names and none of them were personal to us,” Marissa said to The Greek Herald.
“When we came up with Café 959, we knew that it meant something to us. It’s close to our hearts.”
Marissa’s family run a café in Penrith, Nadia’s Café, which Chris began working for around the time they started dating. Since then, the two developed a unique working dynamic, strengthened by their love for each other.
Photo: Peter Oglos/The Greek Herald
“We’ve both been with the Nadia’s team for over ten years now… And since then we’ve been a great pair, working together,” Marissa said.
“We thought it was the right time to open up our own cafe to call our own.”
Announcing their engagement in 2018, the pair worked together full-time at Marissa’s family café in Blacktown.
Speaking about how the opportunity in Kogarah came to be, Marissa said many would consider it ‘fate’. Yet Marissa recognised that the best opportunities usually come at the most unexpected and best times.
Prior to opening Café 959, the spot was home to the popular café ‘Conrete Jungle’.
Photo: Peter Oglos/The Greek Herald
“I went down to a florist at the bottom of my street and I recognised the lady working,” Marissa explained.
“And we started talking about life and business and family. She told me her son owns Concrete Jungle and how he’s going through his life as well.
“And I said to her as a joke, if he ever wants to sell, here’s our number.
“And then a few days later, he called us and that’s how it started.”
Opening last week, Marissa says it’s been difficult to predict what each day will bring, yet the business enjoyed a hugely successful first weekend.
“I think we were lucky to have a lot of family help us out,” Marissa added.
“We had a lot of good reviews, a lot of good feedback and happy customers. Our main focus is good customer service, good food and good coffee.
“And our main goal is obviously to maintain and build our relationships with our customers and our staff.”
Asked if there would be any Greek influences brought to the café, Marissa says they are looking to introduce Greek coffee on the menu sometime in the future, along with some Greek food items on the menu.
“We’re focused on a bit of a multicultural target and a lot of our customers are already Greek and know that we’re Greek and it’s just that different kind of level of relation,” Marissa concluded.
Valentine’s Day is celebrated every year on February 14. The ‘day of love’ isn’t just for young people or a way for florists to make a killing. It’s also a day to reflect on the long-lasting love and devotion some Greeks have enjoyed during their over forty years of blissful marriage.
As second and third generation Greek Australians, it fills us with pride to witness these successful stories of love and in turn, we typically try to replicate them in our own lives.
But is this ideal truly achievable?
To help out, The Greek Herald spoke with Greek couples, and at times their children, to find out their secrets to a lasting marriage.
Tina and Peter Photakis:
Tina and Peter Photakis met at a Glendi Greek festival in Adelaide in the late 70s and they got married in December 1979.
Tina was 19 and Peter was 30.
“I was young. At the age of 21 I had already been married for two years. Peter knew that I needed to grow and fulfill my career and my dreams and he supported me.
“The fact that we had the same passions also helped. We travelled together before we started our family,” Tina Photakis tells The Greek Herald.
Tina and Peter Photakis met at a Glendi Greek festival in Adelaide in the late 70s. Photos supplied.
Tina and Peter recently celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary and as their shared journey in life continues, Tina reflects on the reasons their relationship withstood the test of time and gives her advice to younger couples.
“Don’t be afraid to argue but never go to bed mad. Try and give the other person space,” says Tina.
“We went through a lot, but we were also close to our families who were very supportive.
“The bottom line is that marriage is not a fairy tale. It’s hard work. If Peter was a different person, this marriage wouldn’t have lasted.
“He is a good family person and he instils his values and love for our Greek heritage in our sons,” says Tina, giving one last piece of advice.
“Train them to give you good presents. Peter is very good at this,” she says for her other half.
Evangelos and Elpiniki Karkaletsis:
Evangelos and Elpiniki Karkaletsis were childhood sweethearts. Photo supplied.
To tell us the story of Evangelos and Elpiniki Karkaletsis, we spoke with their son Nikolaos Karkaletsis, as Evangelos has passed away.
According to Nikolaos, his father, Evangelos, graduated from Panteion University in Greece but he found it difficult to find work and opted to get paid to travel by working on a cargo ship. Many months and destinations later, he landed in Sydney, fell in love with the city and never returned to the ship.
“He travelled to Melbourne to work and lived with his aunt, his only relative in Australia at the time. He then sent a letter to my grandfather saying he needed to go to the Kantari family, ask for Elpiniki’s hand in marriage and send her to Melbourne. They were from the same village and were teenagers when they fell in love,” Nikolaos explains to The Greek Herald.
Nikolaos Karkaletsis as a young boy with his dad. Photo supplied.
“Visiting my village in 1999, I was shown a tree with a love heart and my parents initials still carved into this tree. I also found the original letter my father had sent to my grandfather. In the letter he said to my grandfather that if he didn’t send his childhood sweetheart, he would never see him again.”
Evangelos and Elpiniki were later married on June 27, 1964 at St Johns Greek Orthodox Church in Carlton. They were together for 53 years, until Evangelos passed away in 2017.
Evangelos and Elpiniki were married for 53 years. Photo supplied.
“Growing up in the household, I saw two people committed to working hard and devoted to each other to provide everything they could for their family. They had respect for each other, trust and a mutual understanding,” Nikolaos says.
“In Dad’s later years, having dementia, is when I realised what the vows “in sickness and in health” really meant. Mum was dad’s nurse 24/7. Yes they had their arguments like many of us, but both of them always found a way to nurture and care for each other with unconditional love.”
